Minister warns of action against AIDS quacks

February 14, 2006

Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Anbumani Ramadoss

said that Drugs and Magical Remedies Act would be amended to check

unethical advertisements by medical practitioners claiming cure for

AIDS and various other diseases.

Speaking at the naming ceremony of the hospital block of National

Institute of Siddha (it has been named Ayothidoss Pandithar

Hospital) and foundation stone laying ceremony for the PG girls'

hostel at Tambaram today, the Minister said, 'doctors practising

Siddha and Unani are claiming (through TV commercials) that they

have cure for HIV AIDS and lakhs of people are being cheated by

them. To check this, we are planning to bring amendments in Drugs

and Magical Remedies Act.'

He also warned the 'quacks' to stop their advertisements

immediately. 'Or else severe action will be taken,' he said.

Responding to a question on Common Entrance Test (CET), the Union

Health Minister said that the Medical Council of India (MCI) did not

come under his control, as it was a autonomous body. 'However I had

recommended to MCI to remove the provisions which make CET

mandatory,' he said and added that 99.8 percent students from

Tamilnadu are passing out from State Board every year where as only

0.2 per cent of students are from the CBSE stream. He said that

majority of the students should not suffer just for the sake a

meagre number of students.

Union Minister of Shipping and Surface Transport, T R Baalu said

that after Anbumani Ramadoss took charge as Health Minister smoking

in the central hall of Parliament has been banned. Union Minister of

State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi, A K Moorthy

MP, M A Vaithyalingam MLA, and Dr G Veluchamy, director, National

Institute of Sidha also spoke.

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